The Book of Isaiah: An Overview

The Isaiah Scroll, found in the caves in Qumran.
It is the oldest existing copy of the Book of Isaiah and is over 2,000 years old.

Isaiah divides into two natural sections, even as the entire Bible divides into two great sections--the Old and New Testaments. The first great section consists of the first 39 chapters and the second section consists of the last 27 chapters. The 66 chapters of Isaiah are analogous to the 66 books of the Bible.

The Historical section in Isaiah, chapters 36-39, look backward and forward, just as the Gospels are Historical and draw from the Old Testament and point to the future. Chapters 36-37 represent the conclusion of the Assyrian period and chapters 38-39 are preparatory for the beginning of the Babylonian period. It contains key sections and revelations about God, and the Messiah expressed through the themes of a Servant and Sovereign Lord. From the study of Isaiah, we can understand God better, see the unfolding of His purposes through the Savior, and have a confident hope for the future.

1.	Chapters 1-6	This section is introductory in nature. Its purpose is to point out the relationship between the sins and sufferings of Israel, and the necessity of future judgments, as God's means for purification and salvation. This section includes prophecies of Messiah's rule, and describes Isaiah's call to ministry. The themes that occur here run throughout the entire book.
2.	Chapters 7-12	Sometimes called "The Book of Immanuel" because of the great prophecies of Christ in chapters 7-9. These chapters also present the prophetic perspective of Israel's relationship to Assyria, the representative of all world power.
3.	Chapters 13-23	Judgments against foreign nations.
4.	Chapters 24-27	These chapters comprise a type of finale to the judgments of the nations in the previous section. Eschatology features prominently in this section: the end of the Great Tribulation, the battle of Armageddon, the resurrection of the dead, and the restoration of national Israel.
5.	Chapters 28-33	This section pertains to the relationship of Israel to Assyria during the reign of King Hezekiah. Included are five discourses, that begin with present distress, forbid relying on false means of deliverance, and mingle the near-salvation with far-off, eschatological salvation brought about by the return of the Messiah.
6.	Chapters 34-35	These form the cap to the first section. Isaiah's great themes of judgment and salvation are mirrored in these chapters: chapter 34 features judgment, while chapter 35 predicts salvation and millennial life.
7.	Chapters 36-39	These chapters are historical in nature. They are paralleled in 2 Kings 18:13-20:19.
8.	Chapters 40-66	This section contains vivid prophecies of the Christ, His work and ministry as the Servant of YHWH, the raising up of King Cyrus and the deliverance from Exile, the return of Christ in judgment, the creation of the new heavens and earth, with descriptions of millennial life unmatched in the rest of Scripture.

©1998 Internet Biblical Resources